By Sophia Hysaw, Opinion Editor
After more than 100 years and 200 failed attempts, the Anti-lynching Bill has finally made it through congress and is currently on its way to President Joe Biden.
With earlier approval by the House, a unanimous vote from the Senate, and the naming of this bill after hate crime victim Emmett Till, the U.S. federal government has finally decided to legally condemn hate crimes. Under this bill, any hate crime that results in either injury or death can be and will be prosecuted as lynching. If convicted, a person could be sentenced to up to 30 years in prison.
Hate crimes have been committed for centuries; the only new thing about them is that they are finally being recorded and posted online for millions to see all over the world.
Whether or not this is why the Senate has finally passed this bill can not truly be confirmed, but there’s a large chance that this newfound undeniability of the brutality and inhumanity of these situations definitely played a role in the decision.
America has found that it can no longer turn a blind eye to the amount of violent hate crimes they have allowed to be swept under the rug, when these injustices have been filmed and shown to people all over the world.
Either way, it is a real step toward change in this country and a step in the absolute right direction. The passage of this bill could allow for countless possibilities to dismantle the systemic racism that has been so ingrained in our institutions of power.
This is the change we need to see from our elected representatives, the change that will protect and ensure justice for all people in America.